WFP Lays Off 41 Female Nutrition Staff in Kapisa as Afghanistan Faces Worsening Hunger Crisis
They are waiting in line for WFP assistance, and workers inside a WFP warehouse on a WFP distribution site are offloading the food packages, oil, split peas, and salt and loading them on wheelbarrows for the beneficiaries to take home. WFP has been operating on this site for the past week, serving over 100,000 people so far.
The World Food Programme has laid off 41 nutrition staff in Kapisa, Afghanistan, amid alarming malnutrition rates and critical funding shortages threatening children and mothers.
The layoffs affect 41 female health and nutrition staff, sources say, citing severe budget shortfalls that forced the WFP to cut personnel in Kapisa province. Staff members expressed concern that the reduction comes at a critical time when malnutrition cases are rising sharply.
Local sources report that the dismissals have left communities vulnerable, as essential services for mothers and children are now limited or unavailable. One staff member stated that: “They fired everyone. They said there is no budget.”
According to a recent UN report, approximately 75 percent of Afghanistan’s population remains unemployed, leaving millions struggling to secure basic livelihoods amid ongoing economic and political crises.
The same report indicates that nearly 90 percent of Afghanistan households live below the poverty line, highlighting the urgent need for humanitarian assistance and sustainable development interventions.
United Nations humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned of funding shortfalls in Afghanistan this year. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) predicts that 17.4 million people will face severe food insecurity during the coming winter.
UNICEF reports that 3.7 million children in Afghanistan are suffering from acute malnutrition. The agency aims to treat 1.3 million children facing moderate to severe malnutrition but is constrained by a lack of resources.
WFP officials have emphasized that nutrition and food insecurity are rapidly worsening in Afghanistan, particularly in provinces like Kapisa, where access to healthcare and food aid is limited. The layoffs could further hinder emergency response capabilities.
International observers note that donor fatigue and political instability have exacerbated funding challenges for humanitarian agencies in Afghanistan, making the crisis increasingly difficult to manage.
Reports warn that without immediate financial support, malnutrition rates could rise dramatically, endangering thousands of children and mothers across Afghanistan.
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